JP2020181227A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an input device capable of effectively displaying a design based on distribution of an amount of light on a decorative layer when a backlight is turned on.SOLUTION: An input device 1 provided with: a sensor unit 10 having a plurality of electrode units 11 and 12 provided on a support base material 100; and a decorative layer 20 overlapped with the sensor unit 10. The support base material 100 is provided with a transmission adjusting unit 110 that adjusts transmission of light emitted in a first direction D1 from the sensor unit 10 side toward the decorative layer 20 side. Further, the transmission adjusting unit 110 has a transmission pattern 111 that transmits light and a light-shielding pattern 112 that blocks light, and an amount of light transmission is adjusted by a ratio of the transmission pattern 111 and the light-shielding pattern 112 per unit area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an input device, and more particularly to an input device provided with a touch sensor that detects a position where a finger or the like approaches.

A touch panel often used as an input device includes a touch sensor that detects a position where a finger or the like approaches the detection area (hereinafter, the approach includes contact). For example, in a mutual capacitance type touch panel, an electrode on the drive side and an electrode on the output side are provided, a drive pulse is given to the electrode on the drive side, and a capacitance change due to an approach of a finger or the like is detected by the electrode on the output side. doing.

On the outermost surface of the touch panel, a surface panel (glass, plastic) for clearly displaying an image and protecting it from contact with a finger or the like is provided. The front panel is also a part related to the design of the touch panel. For example, a decorative layer is provided on the back surface side of the front panel, and the appearance design of the panel surface is set by printing the decorative layer.

As a decoration for such a touch panel, Patent Document 1 states that after forming a laminated decorative layer of a coloring layer / coloring layer around the back surface of the cover glass, a transparent electrode layer is provided from the central portion of the back surface to the decoration layer. The formed cover-integrated electrostatic sensor is disclosed. In this cover-integrated electrostatic sensor, the design is improved by forming the colored layer in a gradation structure.

Patent Document 2 discloses an electrostatic touch panel integrated with a cover glass in which a first light-shielding layer / sensor electrode + drawer wiring layer / second light-shielding layer are formed in this order on the back surface of the cover glass. In this cover glass-integrated electrostatic touch panel, it is disclosed that a first light-shielding layer is arranged in a gradation in the second light-shielding layer to make it difficult to see the boundary between the first light-shielding layer and the second light-shielding layer.

In Patent Document 3, a diffusion layer / halftone print layer / base layer decorative layer is formed on the back surface of the key top of a button switch of a mobile phone to blur the gradation pattern of the halftone print layer to obtain a smooth gradation. Is disclosed. It is also disclosed that the illumination unit is provided inside the key top.

In Patent Document 4, in order to make the logo display of the cover panel a pseudo 3D expression, a punched logo portion is provided in the decorative layer of the cover panel, and a metal formed of the same material as the wiring on the sensor base material arranged on the back portion. An electrostatic touch panel is disclosed in which a layer is removed and arranged at a position overlapping the logo portion.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-026244 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-038531 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-159794 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-054420

In recent years, a touch panel may be required to have a design having a high effect of effect, and a specific example thereof is a design in which a display based on a light amount distribution is manifested on a decorative layer when the backlight is turned on. Such a requirement is a configuration that brings a distribution of the amount of light to the decorative layer or a member located on the observer side of the decorative layer, for example, a surface panel, specifically, a configuration that partially adjusts the amount of transmitted light. Can be responded to by granting. However, in such a measure, the mechanism that brings about the distribution of the amount of light even when the backlight is turned off is visually recognized as a part of the design of the decorative layer, so that the design when the backlight is turned off is deteriorated, and as a result, a sufficient effect is produced. There was a risk that the effect could not be obtained.

An object of the present invention is to provide an input device capable of effectively displaying a design based on a distribution of light amount on a decorative layer when a backlight is turned on.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is an input device including a sensor unit provided with a plurality of electrode units on a support base material and a decorative layer overlapped with the sensor unit. The support base material is provided with a transmission adjusting unit for adjusting the transmission of light emitted in the first direction from the sensor unit side toward the decorative layer side in a state of being separated from the decorative layer in the first direction. It is characterized by being.

According to such a configuration, when the sensor unit is irradiated with light in the first direction, that is, when the backlight is turned on, the light transmitted through the sensor unit and irradiated to the decorative layer is the sensor. The distribution of the amount of light is given by the transmission adjusting portion provided on the supporting base material of the portion. On the other hand, since the transmission adjusting portion is covered with the decorative layer and is separated from the decorative layer in the first direction, the transmission adjusting portion is not visually recognized when the backlight is turned off. Therefore, when the backlight is turned off, the design based on the decorative layer can be visually recognized, and when the backlight is turned on, the design based on the distribution of the amount of light given by the transmission adjusting unit can be displayed on the decorative layer. That is, it is possible to achieve an excellent effect that a design that is completely invisible when the backlight is turned off becomes apparent by turning on the backlight.

In the above input device, the transmission adjusting unit has a transmission pattern that transmits light and a light-shielding pattern that blocks light, and the amount of light transmission is adjusted by the ratio of the transmission pattern and the light-shielding pattern per unit area. It may be like this. Thereby, it is possible to express the gradation of the light-based design that is manifested in the decorative layer by the ratio of the transmission pattern and the light-shielding pattern per unit area. Here, in the transmission adjusting portion, since the decoration layer and the transmission adjusting portion are separated from each other in the first direction (the traveling direction of light), the light transmitted through the transmission pattern of the transmission adjusting portion is diffused to some extent for decoration. Reach the layer. Therefore, a design having a continuous change in the amount of light such as a gradation can be easily displayed on the decorative layer without making the transmission pattern and the light-shielding pattern excessively fine.

In the above input device, the support base material is provided with a lead-out wiring portion having a portion made of a conductive material and connected to a plurality of electrode portions, and at least a part of the conductive material of the lead-out wiring portion and a constituent material of a light-shielding pattern. May be common to at least a part of. By sharing the constituent materials of the members formed on the support base material in this way, a light-shielding pattern can also be produced in the process of producing the drawer wiring portion, and the transmission adjusting portion can be efficiently provided. ..

According to the present invention, when the backlight is turned off, the design based on the decorative layer is visually recognized, and when the backlight is turned on, the design based on the distribution of the amount of light given by the transmission adjusting unit, which is not visible when the backlight is turned off, is manifested in the decorative layer. Can be transformed. That is, the design visually recognized by the decorative layer can be clearly different between when the backlight is turned off and when it is turned on. Therefore, the present invention provides an input device having a design having an excellent effect on the decorative layer.

(A) is a perspective view of the input device according to the present embodiment, and (b) and (c) are enlarged plan views of the transmission adjusting unit. FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1A. (A) and (b) are plan views illustrating the display state of the image. It is sectional drawing which illustrates the input device which concerns on a comparative example. (A) and (b) are plan views illustrating the display state of the image of the input device in the comparative example. It is sectional drawing which illustrates the input device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same members are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the members once described will be omitted as appropriate.

(Configuration of input device)
1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an input device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 1A is a perspective view, and FIGS. 1B and 1C are enlarged plan views of a transmission adjusting unit.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 (a).

As shown in FIG. 1A, the input device 1 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a sensor unit 10 which is a capacitance type touch sensor, and a decorative layer 20 which is overlapped with the sensor unit 10. The input device 1 is, for example, a touch panel. The input device 1 is mounted on a display device 50 such as a liquid crystal display. Here, in the embodiment, in the stacking direction of the sensor unit 10 and the decorative layer 20, the direction from the sensor unit 10 to the decorative layer 20 is referred to as the first direction D1. A backlight 51 is provided on the side of the display device 50, and a part of the sensor unit 10 is located above the backlight 51.

The sensor unit 10 detects the position by changing the capacitance when a finger or the like approaches the detection area S. The sensor unit 10 includes a first electrode 11 and a second electrode 12 provided in the detection region S of the base material 100. That is, the base material 100 is a support base material that supports a plurality of electrodes (first electrode 11 and second electrode 12). The base material 100 is formed of a flexible film having translucency such as PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) and COP (cycloolefin polymer), a hard translucent plate material such as acrylic resin and polycarbonate resin, and a glass plate. ..

The first electrode 11 extends in one direction (for example, the X direction) along the surface of the base material 100, and the second electrode 12 extends along the surface of the base material 100 in a direction orthogonal to the X direction (for example, the Y direction). Extends to. The first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 are insulated from each other. In the present embodiment, a plurality of first electrodes 11 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the Y direction, and a plurality of second electrodes 12 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the X direction.

There are various patterns of electrodes constituting the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12, but in the present embodiment, each of the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 has a plurality of island-shaped electrode portions. Each island-shaped electrode portion has a shape close to, for example, a rhombus.

The detection area S of the sensor unit 10 has a position detection function and is translucent so that the image displayed by the display device 50 can be transmitted. Therefore, a translucent conductive material (ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), a conductive nanomaterial, a metal material formed in a mesh shape, or the like) is used for the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12.

The sensor unit 10 includes a drawer wiring unit 113 in a region of the base material 100 that overlaps the decorative layer 20 when viewed from the direction along the first direction D1. The lead-out wiring unit 113 is electrically connected to the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12, and applies a voltage to these electrodes or transmits a detection signal output from these electrodes. The lead-out wiring portion 113 has a portion made of a conductive material having high conductivity such as a metal material. Since the drawer wiring portion 113 is located in a region overlapping the decorative layer 20 when viewed from the direction along the first direction D1, it is not visible from the surface cover 30 side. Therefore, the leader wiring portion 113 does not have to have translucency.

A surface cover 30 for protecting the sensor unit 10 is provided on the sensor unit 10. The surface cover 30 is a thin plate-shaped member having translucency made of glass or plastic. The decorative layer 20 is attached to the back surface (sensor portion 10 side) of the front surface cover 30. The decorative layer 20 may be provided on the surface of the surface cover 30, or may be embedded inside the surface cover 30.

The decorative layer 20 is located at the peripheral edge of the display device 50 when viewed from the direction along the first direction D1 and is provided so as to overlap the entire area of the backlight 51. The decorative layer 20 enhances the design such as the color and pattern of the device. Further, a member that should not be visually recognized such as the drawer wiring portion 113 is located below the decorative layer 20, and the decorative layer 20 also has a function of concealing such a member when viewed from the surface cover 30 side. Further, the light emitted from the display device 50 in the first direction D1 (including the light of the liquid crystal backlight, the light emitted from the self-luminous type such as an organic EL, and the light emitted from other light emitting parts) is predetermined. When the amount of light is less than or equal to the amount of light, it also has a transmission suppressing function of suppressing the transmission of the light. On the other hand, as will be described later, a part of the light emitted from the backlight 51 in the first direction D1 passes through the decorative layer 20 and is visible from the surface cover 30 side.

In such an input device 1, a transmission adjusting unit 110 is provided in a region of the base material 100 of the sensor unit 10 that overlaps with the backlight 51 when viewed from the direction along the first direction D1. The transmission adjusting unit 110 is a portion that adjusts the amount of light transmitted from the backlight 51.

The transmission adjusting unit 110 has a transmission pattern 111 that transmits light and a light-shielding pattern 112 that blocks light. The light transmittance of the transmission pattern 111 is relatively higher than the light transmittance of the light shielding pattern 112.

The shading pattern 112 is made of, for example, a metal material. At least a part of the constituent material of the light-shielding pattern 112 may be common with at least a part of the conductive material of the lead-out wiring portion 113. In this case, the light-shielding pattern 112 can be produced in the process of producing the drawer wiring unit 113 in the sensor unit 10, and the light-shielding pattern 112 can be efficiently obtained. In the present embodiment, the lead-out wiring portion 113 is formed by laminating a metal material layer 1132 on a layer 1131 made of a transparent conductive material common to the transparent conductive material constituting the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12. The body has a structure in which the body is covered with a layer 1133 of a resin-based material. On the other hand, the light-shielding pattern 112 has a structure in which a layer 1121 made of a material common to the layer 1131 made of a transparent conductive material is laminated with a layer 1122 made of a material common to the layer 1132 made of a metal material.

The transmission pattern 111 is a portion of the transmission adjustment portion 110 where the light-shielding pattern 112 is not provided, and is, for example, a portion in which a part of the metal material constituting the light-shielding pattern 112 is removed by etching or the like. The transmission pattern 111 may be composed of a portion obtained by removing a part of the metal material of the light-shielding pattern 112 or a material having a higher light transmittance than the metal material of the light-shielding pattern 112.

The transmission pattern 111 may be a dot pattern having a predetermined shape such as a circle, or a line pattern. The larger the area of the transmission pattern 111, the larger the amount of light transmitted. As shown in FIG. 1B, in the present embodiment, the amount of light transmitted is adjusted by the ratio of the transmission pattern 111 and the light-shielding pattern 112 per unit area. Thereby, a pseudo gradation can be expressed. In this case, the relationship between the shape of the transmission pattern 111 and the shape of the light-shielding pattern 112 is arbitrary. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), transmission patterns 111 of different sizes may exist in an island shape in the light-shielding pattern 112, or as shown in FIG. 1 (c), the transmission pattern 111 of the transmission pattern 111. Light-shielding patterns 112 of different sizes may be present in an island shape. Alternatively, the individual sizes of the transmission pattern 111 and the light-shielding pattern 112 are equal, and the amount of light transmission may be adjusted by changing the degree of sparseness and density of these.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the input device 1 provided on the display device 50, the sensor unit 10, the decorative layer 20, and the surface cover 30 are stacked in this order in the first direction D1. A translucent resin 60 such as OCA (Optical Clear Adhesive) is interposed between the sensor unit 10 and the surface cover 30. In the present embodiment, the translucent resin 60 realizes that the transmission adjusting portion 110 and the decorative layer 20 are separated from each other in the first direction D1. In the present embodiment, since the decorative layer 20 is composed of a printed layer formed on the surface of the surface cover 30 on the sensor portion 10 side, the decorative layer 20 is positioned so as to be in contact with the surface cover 30.

With such a structure, when the sensor unit 10 is irradiated with light in the first direction D1 by the backlight 51, the amount of light transmitted in the region where the transmission pattern 111 is located is the region where the light shielding pattern 112 is located. It is more than the amount of light transmitted through. That is, in the region where the light-shielding pattern 112 is located, almost no light is transmitted to the surface cover 30 side. On the other hand, in the region where the transmission pattern 111 is located, the light that has passed through the transmission pattern 111 is transmitted to the surface cover 30 side.

At this time, since the transmission adjusting unit 110 is provided at a position farther from the surface cover 30 than the decorative layer 20, in other words, the transmission adjusting unit 110 is separated from the decorative layer 20 in the first direction D1. Therefore, the light transmitted through the transmission pattern 111 is diffused when passing through the translucent resin 60. As a result, the image of the light transmitted through the transmission pattern 111 reaches the decorative layer 20 in a state of being blurred to some extent. Therefore, as described above, by changing the ratio of the transmission pattern 111 and the light-shielding pattern 112 per unit area, the light reaching the decorative layer 20 is generated to have a distribution in which the amount of light continuously changes. Can be done.

3A and 3B are plan views illustrating the display state of the image.
FIG. 3A shows a display example of a state in which light is irradiated, and FIG. 3B shows a display example of a state in which light is not irradiated. In each of the display examples, the surface cover 30 is viewed from above.

As shown in FIG. 3A, when the light (backlight) is irradiated from the sensor unit 10 side of the input device 1, the light transmitted through the transmission pattern 111 reaches the surface cover 30 side. At this time, the image P1 of the transmission pattern 111 is diffused when passing through the translucent resin 60, and the outline becomes blurred. Therefore, by making the transmission pattern 111 small and dense to some extent, pseudo gradation can be expressed, and gradation and the like can be expressed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the light (backlight) is not irradiated from the sensor unit 10 side of the input device 1, the light is not transmitted from the transmission pattern 111, and the decorative layer 20 The design on the surface cover 30 side is observed as it is. In the present embodiment, even if there is light that passes through the decorative layer 20 from the surface cover 30 side and enters the inside, the amount of the light is sufficiently reduced, so that the light reflected by the transmission adjusting unit 110 is the decorative layer. It does not pass through 20 and reach the surface cover 30 side. Therefore, the transmission pattern 111 is not visible when observed from the surface cover 30 side. Further, even if light enters the region where the decorative layer 20 is overlapped from the region where the decorative layer 20 is not overlapped in the sensor unit 10, the light is transmitted through the decorative layer 20 as long as the amount of light is that much. It does not reach the surface cover 30 side.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an input device according to a comparative example.
The input device 2 according to the comparative example is provided with a transmission pattern 220 in a part of the decorative layer 20. That is, the input device 2 is provided with a transmission pattern 220 capable of transmitting the light emitted from the backlight 51 in the first direction D1 to the surface cover 30 side by removing a part of the light-shielding pattern 230 of the decorative layer 20. It is a configuration.

5 (a) and 5 (b) are plan views illustrating a display state of an image of an input device in a comparative example.
FIG. 5A shows a display example of a state in which light is irradiated, and FIG. 5B shows a display example of a state in which light is not irradiated. In each of the display examples, the surface cover 30 is viewed from above.

As shown in FIG. 5A, in the state of being irradiated with light, the light transmitted through the transmission pattern 220 provided on the decorative layer 20 reaches the surface cover 30 side. However, since the decorative layer 20 is provided with the transmission pattern 220, the light transmitted through the transmission pattern 220 travels straight without being diffused to the surface cover 30. As a result, the image P2 of the transmission pattern 220 can be clearly seen from the surface cover 30 side without blurring.

As shown in FIG. 5B, when the light is not irradiated, the light is not transmitted from the transmission pattern 111. However, since the transmission pattern 220 is provided on the decorative layer 20 provided immediately below the surface cover 30, the transmission pattern 220 can be seen faintly as a difference in the reflection intensity of light entering the inside from the surface cover 30 side. It will end up.

As described above, in the input device 2 according to the comparative example, the image P2 of the transmission pattern 220 clearly appears in the state of being irradiated with light (see FIG. 5A), and it is difficult to obtain an appropriate blur. Therefore, in order to obtain gradation expression and gradation, it is necessary to form the transmission pattern 220 with high definition and arrange it with high accuracy, which increases technical difficulty. Further, even when the light is not irradiated, the transmission pattern 220 is slightly visible due to the light entering from the outside (see FIG. 5B). That is, even when the design that should be visually recognized for the first time when the light is irradiated from the backlight 51 to the first direction D1 is not irradiated, it is visually recognized. Such an appearance impairs the design.

On the other hand, in the input device 1 according to the present embodiment, the outline of the image P1 of the transmission pattern 111 is displayed with an appropriate blur in the state of being irradiated with light (see FIG. 3A). This makes it easier to express gradation and gradation. Further, when the light is not irradiated, the decorative layer 20 is firmly shielded from light, and the transmission pattern 111 arranged apart from the decorative layer 20 is not visible. Therefore, the design visually recognized by the decorative layer 20 is clearly different between the state in which the light is irradiated from the backlight 51 and the state in which the light is not irradiated, so that the design is an excellent design having a high effect.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the input device according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, the input device 1B according to the present embodiment includes a first transparent electrode film 150 provided with the first electrode 11 and a second transparent electrode film 160 provided with the second electrode 12. ing. The first transparent electrode film 150 is a film-like base material 151 having translucency in which a plurality of first electrodes 11 are arranged at predetermined intervals. The second transparent electrode film 160 is a film-like base material 161 having translucency in which a plurality of second electrodes 12 are arranged at predetermined intervals.

By laminating and laminating the first transparent electrode film 150 and the second transparent electrode film 160 via a translucent resin such as OCA, the plurality of first electrodes 11 and the plurality of second electrodes 12 can be attached to each other. The sensor units 10 are arranged in the intersecting directions.

In the input device 1B, among such transparent electrode films, the transmission adjusting unit 110 is provided on the film-like base material 161 of the second transparent electrode film 160 located more proximal to the decorative layer 20. .. As a result, the separation distance between the transmission adjusting unit 110 and the decorative layer 20 can be set in the same manner as in the case of the input device 1 according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of the transmission adjusting unit 110 is common to that of the input device 1. Can be transformed into. In the input device 1B, the transmission adjusting unit 110 may be provided on the film-like base material 151 of the first transparent electrode film 150 located further distal to the decorative layer 20. In this case, the separation distance between the transmission adjusting unit 110 and the decorative layer 20 can be secured longer than in the case of the input device 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the degree of diffusion of the light of the backlight 51 transmitted through the transmission adjusting unit 110 becomes relatively large, and the decorative layer 20 can display a design having a higher continuity of the light amount change.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the input devices 1 and 1B having a design in the decorative layer in which the display when the backlight 51 is turned on and the display when the backlight 51 is turned off are clearly different and have an excellent effect of effect. It will be possible to provide.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, those skilled in the art appropriately adding, deleting, or changing the design of each of the above-described embodiments, or those appropriately combining the features of each embodiment also have the gist of the present invention. As long as it is, it is included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the backlight 51 may be a part of the display device 50. In this case, the backlight 51 is composed of a portion of the display device 50 capable of irradiating relatively high-intensity light. Further, the lead-out wiring portion 113 may be formed in the region where the transmission adjusting portion 110 is located, or the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 may be formed.

1,1B, 2 ... Input device 10 ... Sensor unit 11 ... First electrode 12 ... Second electrode 20 ... Decorative layer 30 ... Surface cover 50 ... Display device 51 ... Backlight 60 ... Translucent resin 100 ... Base material 110 ... Transmission adjusting unit 111 ... Transmission pattern 112 ... Light-shielding pattern 1121 ... Layer made of a material common to a layer made of a transparent conductive material 1122 ... Layer made of a material common to a layer made of a metal material 113 ... Drawer wiring part 1131 ... Transparent conductivity Layer made of material 1132 ... Metallic material layer 1133 ... Resin-based material layer 150 ... First transparent electrode film 151 ... Base material 160 ... Second transparent electrode film 161 ... Base material 220 ... Transmission pattern 230 ... Light-shielding pattern D1 ... First One-way P1, P2 ... Image S ... Detection area

Claims (3)

A sensor unit with a plurality of electrode units provided on a support base material,
The decorative layer overlapped with the sensor unit,
It is an input device equipped with
On the supporting base material, a transmission adjusting unit for adjusting the transmission of light emitted in the first direction from the sensor unit side toward the decorative layer side is separated from the decorative layer in the first direction. An input device characterized by being provided. The transmission adjusting unit has a transmission pattern that transmits the light and a light-shielding pattern that blocks the light, and the amount of the light transmitted is adjusted by the ratio of the transmission pattern and the light-shielding pattern per unit area. The input device according to claim 1. The support base material is provided with a lead-out wiring portion having a portion made of a conductive material and connected to the plurality of electrode portions, and at least a part of the conductive material of the lead-out wiring portion and a constituent material of the light-shielding pattern. The input device according to claim 2, which is common to at least a part.